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Finding Organic Church by Frank Viola

28 September 2009

Rediscover the Divine Pattern for Church Formation

In his new book, celebrated author Frank Viola offers a fresh and practical guide for planting a successful, thriving church

Thousands of congregations today are struggling to survive. What if many of these churches’ problems were not a result of poor planning, but poor planting instead? In his new book, Finding Organic Church (David C Cook, September 2009), influential leader and author Frank Viola is calling the church back to its biblical and spiritual roots. Drawing from both scripture and real-world experience, his essential guide provides practical, effective tools for finding and planting organic churches that won’t just grow, but thrive.

Driven by a passion for the body of Christ, Viola has written some of today’s most authoritative and celebrated works on the growing missional church, house church, and organic church movements. Now, in Finding Organic Church, the author of Pagan Christianity (co-written with George Barna), Reimagining Church, and From Eternity to Here shares the keys to establishing and participating in vibrant communities of Jesus.

Finding Organic Church presents a call grounded in a profound truth: In all things spiritual, origin determines destiny. So how do we return to God’s original plan and purpose for His church? “We must find organic church,” says Viola. “Organic church is a community of people framed by a common life in Christ, not religious programs. A community whose foundation is birthed by God, not built by methods. A vibrant family of Jesus where genuine, authentic relationships are fostered.”

Within this comprehensive handbook of church planting, Viola unearths rich spiritual insights from God’s word and revisits the intended design for His church. An instruction manual built on solid scriptural doctrine, it is ideal for missional leaders, church planters, pastors, and ministries from all backgrounds and denominations.

“The principles set forth in this book are not untested theories,” says Viola. “You will not find arm-chair philosophy or bloodless abstractions within its pages. Rather, the principles described have been hammered out on the anvil of experience—both positive and negative. They have been discovered through many mistakes (a good number of which are my own) as well as a number of serendipitous successes. They are also supported by the voice of scripture. The purpose of this book is very simple: To present the biblical narrative for church planting and to reclaim that narrative for our day.”